


look to the future now

by foxwatson



Category: Bill & Ted (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Hanukkah, M/M, Office Party, also there's a whole alternate separation backstory thing, and also it's hanukkah time, i wrote an office au for tanya and there's a christmas party but like, merry jolly folks, what can i say but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:27:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28332381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxwatson/pseuds/foxwatson
Summary: Ted’s favorite part of any day at the office is when he gets to bring everyone their mail - but mostly only because he gets to take mail to Bill. It gets a little more nerve-wracking, though, when he decides to try and invite Bill to the office Christmas party.
Relationships: Ted "Theodore" Logan/Bill S. Preston Esq.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	look to the future now

**Author's Note:**

> AKFD THIS IS THE NICHEST THING EVER BECAUSE IT IS LITERALLY JUST A GIFT FOR TANYA, merry jolly tanya i feel so lucky to have met you and to be able to just like klamsdf slam open the door to your discord DMs with my wild ideas and crumbs. you kept me sane so many days at work and you are truly a most excellent friend - HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS.
> 
> anyways uh. title credit to merry christmas everybody by slade but i was listening to the idkhow version mostly

Ted’s favorite part of any day at the office is when he gets to bring everyone their mail - but mostly only because he gets to take mail to Bill. A lot of the other people in the office get a little annoyed with him, either because he gets them mixed up, or just because something they were expecting doesn’t get there on time, but that’s why he always saves Bill for last.

Every day when he comes around the corner of Bill’s cubicle and knocks quietly, Bill spins around in his chair and grins at him. “Hey, Ted!” he says with a smile, and Ted smiles gratefully back.

“Hey, Bill. I - um, I got these for you today. And I snagged you some candy from Rufus’ bowl again, so. That’s in there, too.” Ted places the mail in Bill’s hand, and drops the candy on top, and then pulls back, tucking his hands behind his back as he smiles.

Bill looks down at the candy and picks up a piece, his grin widening. “Oh, excellent! Thanks, dude.”

“‘S no problem, Bill.” He steps back a little, edging towards the entrance to Bill’s cubicle, and then leans back around the wall. “Uh - see you tomorrow, I guess.”

Bill looks back up at him, and his brow furrows for a moment, but then he sighs a little and smiles again. “Yeah. See you tomorrow, Ted.”

Ted grins at him again, and waves, and then walks quickly away from Bill’s cubicle, waiting until he’s out of sight to do a little hop and shake out his hands, still over-excited from their little daily interaction. He always wants to stay longer to talk with Bill, but even just the small interactions are so nice. Bill always seems genuinely happy to see him, appreciates anything extra Ted brings him, and he always says Ted’s name in the nicest way Ted’s ever heard anyone say it.

When he first got this job - or really, when his dad had gotten it for him - he’d mostly just been worried about all the things he thought he’d get wrong, or that he’d get fired right away. Now he finds that the longer he’s here, even though the days are long and tiring and sometimes a little frustrating, he worries less and less about that stuff, and he’s able to just focus on the fact that his job means that he gets to see Bill all the time.

He’d known Bill a little when they were in school together - but they’d fallen out of touch when Ted’s father had pulled him out of junior high for his grades and sent him away to military school. A few letters had been exchanged, here and there, but Ted always felt like he didn’t have much to say, what with most of his days all being basically exactly the same.

His first day in the office delivering mail, he’d done a double-take as he reached Bill’s desk - because there, sitting in the cubicle, apparently the graphic design artist for Wardroe Marketing, had been the same Bill Ted knew in middle school, just ten years older. Ted had blinked, and ducked behind his hair a little, and shyly gone to hand Bill his mail, absolutely certain that Bill wouldn’t recognize him.

Instead, though, Bill had turned, and blinked at him, too, and then said, “Ted?” in a quietly overwhelmed voice.

They’d both looked at each other for a moment, stunned, and then smiled and done a little air guitar, which turned into laughter. That first day, they’d talked long enough that someone had cleared their throat to interrupt, and when Ted had gone back downstairs to the mailroom, he’d gotten chastised for how long he’d taken. It’s part of the reason Ted never lets himself stay anymore - as much as he wants to.

He’s also maybe a little worried that if Bill talks to him too long, he’ll realize that Ted doesn’t really have any cool stories or anything to show for their time away. He didn’t do much of anything before he came back to San Dimas. He’s still not very good at guitar, he doesn’t draw or work on anything interesting or creative the way Bill does. He’s just himself, still living with his dad, trying to find his own place and hoping that at some point he can figure out how all of this works.

It’s only been a little over a month now since he started, though. Every time he stops to talk to Bill, he can tell there’s something Bill wants to say or ask - and he’s sort of nervous that it involves hanging out outside of work. Ted wants to, because of course he does - but he’s still too nervous about it.

The safest way to talk to Bill, he feels like, is just still at the office. That way if Bill gets bored, he can leave without it seeming strange, and he won’t have to worry about making Ted feel bad. It won’t have to mess up their little daily mail interactions or anything else - but they can’t just talk during the work day for a long time without getting interrupted, or Ted getting in trouble again.

It’s December, though, and Ted realizes the perfect opportunity is coming up at the end of the month - the office Christmas party. They’ll still be at work, there’ll be other people for Bill to talk to if he gets bored, and it won’t be strange if Ted goes home if Bill goes to talk to other people - he can probably just sort of sneak out and go home. Before any of that happens, though - he and Bill can probably talk as long as they want, and maybe they finally won’t get interrupted.

The only problem is - Ted knows that Bill is Jewish, and that the office party is technically mostly a Christmas party, so he’s not sure if Bill is coming. He sort of needs to ask, and he has no idea how to do that.

For a handful of days in December, Bill actually doesn’t even get any mail, which totally throws off his plan. He keeps thinking of stopping by Bill’s cubicle anyways, bringing him some candy and saying hello, but he’s too nervous that he seems obvious or over-excited.

Finally, on a Friday, Bill gets mail again, and Ted grins as he brings it all the way up to Bill’s cubicle, saving him for last just like always.

He knocks, and then waves. “Hey Bill, I got your mail.”

Bill turns around in his chair, and then blinks, obviously surprised. “Oh, Ted. Hey. I - haven’t seen you for a couple of days. Were you okay, dude?”

Ted flushes, surprised by the idea that Bill even noticed he was gone. “Yeah, sorry, just - you didn’t have any mail. And I um - didn’t wanna interrupt you or anything for - no reason, you know.”

“Oh,” Bill says again, nodding before he turns back around to his computer. “Yeah, that - that makes sense, dude.”

“I - I’ll just leave your mail, then, if you’re busy. I got you some candy, too, I’ll just-” He steps closer to set it on Bill’s desk, but Bill turns back around and takes it from him, their fingertips just brushing on the envelopes.

“No, it’s okay. Thanks, Ted.” He smiles a little, and holds out his hand, and Ted drops the candy, too.

He smiles back at Bill, pulling his hands back and tucking them into his pockets so he doesn’t fidget too much. “Okay. Well. That’s uh - that’s the mail. Did you - Hanukkah starts soon, doesn’t it? This year?”

Bill looks up from where he’s unwrapping a piece of candy and stares at Ted for a second, wide-eyed. “Yeah,” he says softly after a minute. “Yeah, it does, did-”

“It’s just - uh. On the calendar, you know, in the mailroom, and I remember that time when we were kids your mom made latkes and stuff, I had - a really nice time, so. I figured you still celebrate it? Unless you don’t.”

“No, I do,” Bill tells him, setting his handful of candy back down on the desk. He still pops the candy he unwrapped in his mouth, though, and tucks it against his cheek as he keeps talking. “My dad and I usually do both. Uh - Hanukkah and then Christmas, you know.”

Ted nods, and looks away, trying not to stare too hard at Bill’s lips, or the way his tongue pushes the candy around in his mouth. “That’s cool, dude. We don’t really do much for Christmas just - sometimes me and Deacon try to do something, but it’s pretty small. Go out and have Chinese food or something, but I kind of feel bad for the people who still gotta work.” He laughs a little, awkwardly, and shuffles back towards the entrance to Bill’s cubicle, bumping into the wall where he isn’t looking, forced to finally look up and then turn around to make his way out. “Guess I’ll - leave you to it. Happy almost Hanukkah.”

“Thanks, Ted,” Bill says softly, still sitting with his chair facing Ted - and Ted waves at him again, just out of habit, and then ducks away, embarrassed.

All the way back to the mailroom, he feels a little silly, flushed and frustrated, like he somehow said too much, although he didn’t even ask what he actually meant to - whether or not Bill would be at the holiday party. Even if he does celebrate Christmas, too, that doesn’t mean he won’t be busy, or bringing a date or something else.

There’s a thought Ted hadn’t even had yet, that makes his chest ache, although he’s not even sure why. Bill could most definitely be dating someone, and plan to bring them to the party, and then he probably wouldn’t even have time to talk to Ted.

His whole plan feels a little silly and presumptuous, the more he thinks about it.

“Stupid,” he mumbles to himself as he sorts the mail, and he very nearly gives himself a papercut in his distraction.

The thing is, though - he remembers what Bill had said about being worried when he didn’t come by, and it sticks with him. All weekend, he keeps coming back to it, Bill’s furrowed brow and the concern in his voice. He hates the idea that he made Bill worry about anything.

On Monday and Tuesday, it isn’t a problem, because Bill gets mail. Ted goes back to his usual pattern of just taking Bill his mail and a couple of pieces of candy, chatting just for a second and then waving as he leaves.

On Wednesday, though, it’s the first day of Hanukkah - and there’s no mail for Bill.

Ted hates the idea that he could make Bill worried in the middle of an important holiday, and beyond that - he feels, too, like maybe Bill likes getting his mail, and Bill most definitely deserves to be happy for Hanukkah. As a result, when his supervisor steps out of the room for coffee, Ted digs out some supplies and makes Bill a card for the first day of Hanukkah.

It’s a simple little thing, just colored printer paper folded up with a menorah on the front, a little printed _Happy Hanukkah!_ on the front and some lyrics inside. Ted flushes, though, as he tucks it into an envelope and writes Bill’s name on the front. He didn’t sign the card - he only realizes after it’s inside the envelope and by then, he’s feeling a little silly about the effort he’s put in anyways.

When he gets to Bill’s desk and finds that Bill isn’t even there, he feels even sillier. It’s possible Bill took the day off, which would make sense - or it’s possible that since Ted’s running behind, Bill’s already gone to lunch. Either way, he leaves the envelope and some candy on Bill’s desk, blushing all the while, and then rushes back downstairs, hiding behind his hair and avoiding everyone’s gaze, just in case.

The next day, Bill has mail again, but Ted feels kind of squirmy and nervous about the idea of seeing him, not sure if Bill got his card, or liked it, or realizes it was him.

Still, he doesn’t want to make Bill worry. He gathers the mail in his hand, and puts everything else in his bag, and goes up to the office to deliver things to everyone. He grabs some candy from Rufus’ bowl, just like always, and gives him a little wave, and then makes his way over to Bill’s cubicle - and he finds his card sitting up on Bill’s desk, on display.

He stops there, before he’s even knocked or said hello, staring, a flush creeping onto his face.

He’s still just standing there when Bill seems to realize he’s there and turns around in his chair with a smile. “Hey, Ted.”

Ted shakes himself a little and smiles back, pulling out Bill’s mail and handing it to him. “Hey, Bill. Um - here’s your-” He holds out the candy, too, and Bill takes it gently out of his hand, fingers brushing against Ted’s palm. Pulling his hand back quickly, Ted has to stretch it out behind his back and then clench it into a fist - but he can still feel the gentle brush of Bill’s fingers, and the sort of tingling the touch left behind.

“Thanks, Ted,” Bill tells him, looking down at the candy, picking through it for his favorite and unwrapping it quickly. “Sorry I missed you yesterday, dude - I guess you came by when I was at lunch.”

“Oh, yeah - I wasn’t sure if you just - took off for the first day of Hanukkah or you just went out so I just - left stuff here. I hope that was okay.”

“Well, the truly excellent Hanukkah card helped a little,” Bill says, smiling up at him. “I’ve never gotten a Hanukkah card, dude.”

Ted shakes his hair out of his face, surprised. “Really?”

Bill shrugs. “Yeah, dude. I mean - it’s not like Dad’s really gonna give me a card on top of the gifts and stuff. And most people don’t really think about it, you know? The office just does Christmas stuff. Which is still - you know, there’s nothing wrong with Christmas stuff.”

“Well there is if you don’t wanna do that stuff,” Ted tells him, shrugging a little.

“Nah, I don’t mind Christmas. Like I said before, Dad and I usually do both, it’s just - it’s really nice to have somebody remember I don’t just do Christmas,” Bill tells him, smiling softly. His eyes are half-lidded where he looks up at Ted, his mouth sort of quirked up on one side, and Ted just wants to stand there and look at him all day.

Instead, he shrugs, ducks his head and forces himself to stop staring. “It’s no problem, dude. I like Hanukkah. I mean - like I said, I had a really nice time celebrating it with you that one time you had me over. Was a lot nicer than a lot of the Christmases I’ve had.”

“Ted,” Bill says quietly, like he wants to say something else.

Ted glances up at him again. “What is it, Bill?”

“Well I-” Ted watches as Bill cuts himself off, and frowns. “When do you usually take lunch?”

“Oh,” Ted says, tapping his fingers against his leg. “Well I - don’t, usually. Not really. Um. Ryan says we get too busy in the mailroom, for me to - actually leave the office, so he has me just bring a sandwich or something and eat downstairs.”

“Oh. Right.”

It looks like Bill is thinking again - but Ted’s starting to get nervous, and he knows that if Bill actually asks him to lunch, he won’t be able to convince himself to say no. Instead, he just turns around and ducks around the wall, out of Bill’s cubicle. “I should probably - get back downstairs, actually, or I’m probably gonna get in trouble, but - I’ll see you tomorrow, Bill.” He leans back around the wall of Bill’s cubicle and waves at him, smiling a little. Then, quickly, he ducks away to leave.

“See you tomorrow, Ted,” he hears Bill say behind him - but he makes himself not turn back around to look.

The next day is Friday - and Ted realizes that he only has a week until the Christmas party, and he still hasn’t asked Bill about it. He knows, at least, that Bill celebrates Christmas now, so he might be there. If wants to make sure, though, he’s going to have to make sure he actually asks, and then he’ll know for sure if Bill’s bringing a date or anything, too.

All the way through delivering everyone else’s mail, he keeps trying to remind himself in his head - he can’t get distracted today. Not by the way Bill rolls up his sleeves at his desk, or the shape of his mouth when he smiles, or the way he always seems genuinely happy to see Ted, because he definitely has to ask about the Christmas party today. Bill should get at least a week’s notice, and if Ted doesn’t give it to him he’s going to feel most inconsiderate.

When he gets there, though, he finds Joanna standing at the door to Bill’s cubicle, smiling and laughing at something he’s said.

Joanna’s nice. She works in the design department, too, and she’s never gotten mad at Ted about anything. Once she even asked him about how he knew Bill, and Ted had tried to briefly explain how they’d been friends at school without talking too much.

If she and Bill are friends, it makes sense. Their desks are pretty close, and they probably have to go to the same meetings and work together on projects.

She keeps standing there, though, and Ted hears Bill laughing and he thinks - if they’re more than friends, that sort of makes even more sense. Joanna is pretty, and nice, and creative, and she’s from England, which means she has a really cool accent and probably all kinds of interesting stories.

After a long moment, Ted realizes he’s still just standing there, watching them - and he really does need to give Bill his mail, but he doesn’t want to interrupt them.

Carefully, he approaches, and realizes they’re talking about the party next Friday.

“We all go every year, Bill, but I think this year you actually might have fun.”

“You can’t just - say stuff like that, Joanna, it’s - like, I don’t even know if-”

Ted, before he overhears anymore, knocks a little on Bill’s cubicle wall. “Sorry, I - Sorry for interrupting. I’m just here with the mail.”

“Ted!” Bill says, turning around to face him, flushing a little, looking caught in the middle of something.

“I’ll - um. Here.” He quickly hands Bill his mail and then turns back around. “Hi, Joanna. Sorry.” Then, he waves at both of them and ducks his head as he leaves, hurrying back downstairs.

He can hear the two of them start talking again behind him, but he can’t really hear what they’re saying anymore over the rushing in his ears.

Back downstairs in the mailroom, he realizes he still has a pocket full of candy. Instead of trying to take it back upstairs, though, he just snacks on it while he works, and while he tries not to think about Joanna’s smile as she teased Bill about having fun at the party.

Maybe it at least means that Bill will be there - but maybe it means, too, that Ted’s being even sillier than he realized, and he should just go home after work next Friday.

All weekend, he frets about it. He digs through his closet for what he should wear if he goes, and resists the urge to go out and buy something just for a party that’s only going to last a few hours after work is over. His dad keeps him busy most of the weekend, anyways, just like always, running errands and doing work around the house, taking care of things while he’s busy at the station. For once, Ted is most grateful for the distraction.

On Monday, it feels like it takes all day before Ted’s allowed to go and take everyone their mail. He takes care of everyone else first, and swipes a little extra candy from Rufus’ bowl before he finally makes his way to see Bill. Fortunately, there’s no one else standing at his cubicle today. Ted goes over to knock, and smiles.

“Hi, Bill!” he chirps, ducking inside and holding out the mail.

When Bill turns around, though, he seems - distracted. “Oh - hey, Ted. Thanks.” He takes the mail and then turns back around to his computer.

“I - I swiped you some extra candy today, cause - I know I forgot, on Friday. I didn’t mean to I just - Joanna was here and I didn’t wanna interrupt for too long, you know?” He leans down and sets his handful of candy on Bill’s desk, and then starts to go. “I guess - you’re probably busy again, so-”

“Wait,” Bill says, and Ted stops, quickly, hovering there at the entrance to Bill’s cubicle.

Ted listens as he finishes typing something, and sits there while he works for a few seconds. He glances around Bill’s cubicle, then, for maybe the first time since he started bringing Bill his mail. He has some of his own art, of course, scattered around, pinned to the wall. An old family picture. Ted’s Hanukkah card is still sitting up on his desk.

Then, Ted spots another picture - one of him and Bill, just before Ted left San Dimas, onstage at the talent show.

For some reason, they’d decided to play guitar, even though they didn’t even really know how to play. Ted remembers it vividly - and he remembers, too, that Bill’s dad had been there to cheer them on. He’d taken them out for ice cream after, and told them that if they kept working at it, maybe someday they really would be as good as Van Halen.

Ted laughs a little, caught up in the memory, and then looks over to find Bill turned back around, looking at him.

“Sorry, dude, I just had to - finish something. I guess you - never noticed that one before.”

Shaking his head, Ted glances over at the photo again, and then back at Bill. “Is it - you had it up the whole time?”

Bill nods, and laughs, glancing away. “Yeah, I - I kind of only took this job so I’d have enough money to like, have my own place and get a better guitar and stuff. I keep that there cause like - it kind of reminds me, you know? What I actually wanna do.”

Ted nods back, although he keeps his eyes locked on the picture. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

He wants to tell Bill that he still plays - that even if he’s still not very good, that he’s been working on it, whenever his dad isn’t home to tell him to stop. He kind of wants to ask if Bill wants to have a jam session sometime, maybe after Hanukkah is over.

Instead, tucking his hands in his pockets, he turns back around. “Are you - um. I heard you and Jo talking about the Christmas party yesterday. Are you gonna go?”

“Yeah, I pretty much always do, even though it’s super lame. Mostly just - you know, everyone standing around, and some people drink, then we all go home.”

Ted laughs a little, and turns around to look at Bill, smiling. “That makes sense. We used to have like - end of semester holiday parties at Oats’, sounds kind of like that. Super buttoned up and stuff.”

“Yeah,” Bill says quietly, although he’s frowning a little, now.

Immediately, Ted feels like maybe he’s talking too much, and he picks at the inside of his pocket as he spins around to leave. “I guess I should - get back downstairs. Sorry I - don’t wanna get you in trouble or anything.”

“Wait, Ted, are you - are you gonna come to the party?”

He stops, and turns back to look at Bill, his face heating up. “Uh - yeah, probably. I was planning to.”

“I’ll see you there, then,” Bill tells him, smiling.

Ted smiles back. “Yeah, dude. See you there.” He waves at Bill, and Bill waves back - and Ted goes back downstairs in a most excellent mood.

That night, instead of going straight home, Ted stops at the music store, thinking about Bill, and the approaching end of Hanukkah, and also about his own guitar and how much he misses playing music. He has enough money from his first couple of paychecks that he can afford some new strings for his own guitar, enough to maybe get it back in better playing shape.

While he’s there, though, he spies a truly beautiful guitar strap. It’s colorful and well made, blue and yellow stitching on the fabric, some of Bill’s favorite colors, and sturdy leather accents at either end. It would be a perfect gift for the last day of Hanukkah - and Ted knows maybe it’s a little much, but after all, he probably should have gotten Bill a gift for each day of Hanukkah, if he really wanted to do it right. Just the one, for the last night, will have to do.

He has it wrapped up when he checks out, and once he’s home, he tucks it away in his bedroom, trying to keep it somewhere it won’t make his dad ask questions.

Since he’s still thinking about the party at the end of the week, he almost forgets that Wednesday is the last day of Hanukkah - but fortunately, he remembers just in time to run back to his room and grab Bill’s present. He keeps it in his bag once he gets to work, and when his boss steps out of the room, he makes another card to go with the gift, just so he can make sure Bill knows what it’s for.

Bill doesn’t have any other mail today, but Ted knows that today is important, and he’s excited to give Bill his present, so he doesn’t worry about it.

He rushes through giving everyone else their mail, and he reaches Bill’s cubicle earlier than usual, a smile on his face.

“Happy Hanukkah, Bill,” he says from the entrance, and Bill turns around to smile at him.

“Hey, dude. Thanks.”

“I - um - you don’t actually have any mail, but-” Ted pulls out the card, and the small, gift-wrapped guitar strap. “I got you something. Since it’s the last night.”

Carefully, Bill takes the present in his hands and stares down at it, wide-eyed and flushed. “No way, Ted. You - got me something?”

“Yes way, dude. I just - it’s not much, I just wanted to get you something. I know really you should get gifts like, every day, but-”

“Well, you did bring me candy most days, dude,” Bill tells him, looking up with a grin.

Ted laughs, and fidgets with the strap on his bag. “I guess so, yeah. Not like - over the weekend, though. I missed a couple days. So - hopefully this kind of makes up for it.”

“I mean it’s more than anybody else did, dude, except my dad, so - thanks.”

Though he shrugs and ducks his head, a little embarrassed, something about what Bill said snags in his brain. “Jo didn’t like - get you anything?”

“Uh - no, I mean. I guess maybe we’ll trade like Christmas presents or something, but - I don’t think she really knows a lot about Hanukkah.”

Abruptly, Ted wonders if he’s doing too much again. Bill seems happy, though, as he looks back down at his present, and then up at Ted. Surely if he was overstepping or anything, Bill wouldn’t be so happy about it. Ted fidgets a little more, but he’s not sure what else to say. “Well - I hope you like the present, when you open it later. I’ll - see you tomorrow, Bill.”

“Ted,” Bill says - and when Ted turns back around, he finds that Bill’s actually stood up from his chair and walked over, ducking around the side of his cubicle wall to lean in close to Ted.

He also realizes that Bill’s not tall enough to lean over the cubicle wall the way that Ted does sometimes. Ted smiles a little to himself, feeling strangely fond as he walks back over. “What is it, dude?”

“Uh - I kind of - meant to ask sooner, but - do you wanna come over for the last night of Hanukkah tonight? I usually go over to my dad’s, so - it’d be kind of like when you came over in middle school, just - I make the latkes now, cause Dad’s pretty bad at it.”

Startled, Ted can feel himself flush. He wants to say yes - but they’re so close now, to the Christmas party, and he’s still so nervous about messing things up. “Well I - I want to, Bill, but-”

“But you can’t?” Bill finishes, looking back down at his present.

“Yeah,” Ted tells him softly, ducking behind his hair. “If - Dad gets off work early or anything, he’d probably wanna know where I was, cause he still has me do a lot of stuff around the house when he’s at the station late, and he - keeps being late. I’m sorry, Bill.”

“You still stay at your dad’s place?”

Ted realizes that’s one of the things he’s never mentioned to Bill, sort of on purpose, and he feels even more embarrassed. “Yeah. I - I’ve been saving up to try and get my own place but since I got back from Alaska I - haven’t had the money yet for moving and stuff. Just - just for now.” Ted tugs so hard at the strap on his bag it hurts his shoulder a little, and he turns around, realizing he should make a quick exit while he still can. “I’ll - um - I’ll see you tomorrow if you’ve got mail, okay?” He walks away, head still ducked down, and nearly bumps into someone, but stumbles out of their way and rushes back downstairs.

For the next two days, Bill actually doesn’t get any mail. Ted sort of wants to see him, to see what he thought of his Hanukkah gift once he opened it - but he’s still so embarrassed about the last time they talked. He doesn’t have any excuse to make Bill a card anymore either, so instead he ends up hiding until the Christmas party, mostly on accident.

He does dress up, a little, day of. He found a green shirt and a red tie buried in his closet - and even though the tie has to stay loose because it doesn’t fit quite right, and he rolls up his sleeves like he always does in the mail room, he feels like he looks alright by the end of the day.

Before heading upstairs to the party, he shakes his hair out in the mirror and wrinkles his nose. He tries to straighten his tie, and fails. Once he's given up, he takes a deep breath and makes his way out.

The party isn’t too crowded, but mostly because their office isn’t very big. He sees Rufus talking to Mrs. Wardroe, Ryan talking with some of the other supervisors. Bill is standing over by the refreshment table with a drink in hand, smiling a little while Joanna talks to him. He’s wearing a dark green sweater, and his hair looks perfect, well-styled and golden in the warm holiday lights. He’s flushed - probably from wearing the sweater in the well-heated office - and his cheeks are all pink as he laughs.

Ted’s worried about going over and interrupting, but then Bill catches sight of him and walks over, leaving Jo at the table.

“Ted, you came!”

He shrugs, and smiles a little. “Yeah, I - said I would.” He fights the urge to fidget with his tie, and keeps his hands at his sides. “Sorry you didn’t have any mail for a couple days.”

“Oh. Right, yeah.” Bill nods and taps his fingers against his cup. “Well I - that makes sense I guess.”

“But um - I hope you had a good last night of Hanukkah and everything,” Ted tells him, looking at him closely, trying to gauge Bill’s reaction to his gift.

As it turns out, though, it doesn’t take much - because Bill smiles, his eyes going all soft and half-lidded. “Yeah, dude. That guitar strap is really nice. You didn’t have to get me that.”

Ted shrugs. “I know I didn’t have to, I just - saw it in the store and thought you’d like the colors and stuff. And you said that thing about still playing and practicing, and I wanted you to have good stuff for it, you know.”

Bill’s expression brightens, and he shifts a little closer. “I actually even needed a new one. I know you couldn’t have known but - I hadn’t replaced mine since like, high school, it was kind of worn out. The new one looks great.”

“I’m glad, dude.” Ted says, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets as he grins back.

“Do you - still play?”

Though he glances away, Ted shrugs, and nods a little. “Yeah. I’m - I don’t think I’m much better than I was in junior high, cause I never got a lot of practice time.”

That makes Bill laugh, even as he shakes his head. “Neither am I, dude! I never got like - lessons or anything, I just like to play.”

“Really?” Ted asks him with a smile.

“Yeah, dude. Like - I wanna get better, but. I kind of - fell out of it for a while, too. It’s okay. I, uh - you know, I got my own place, so. If you ever wanted to come over and jam or just - practice together or something-”

“Bill,” Ted says, soft and surprised.

“Or it’s - it’s fine if you can’t, too, sorry-”

“I’d love to,” Ted tells him, before Bill can say any more.

He stops, startled, mid-sentence, and blinks at Ted. “Really?”

Ted nods, eagerly. “Yeah, dude.”

“What about your dad, though? And - all that stuff?”

“Well, uh-” Sighing quietly, Ted scuffs his shoe against the floor. “I mean he’s pretty tough, you know but - I can probably get away sometimes, it’s just I was-” He pulls one hand out of his pocket and shakes it out. “I was kinda nervous about coming over and stuff. Cause we haven’t - talked a lot since I got back. I’m sorry, Bill.”

“I wanted to talk more, but - I kind of thought maybe you didn’t.”

“No, I want to!” Ted tells him, looking up and leaning in closer, shaking his head. Then, hesitantly, he reaches out and grabs Bill’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I promise I want to, dude.”

Bill steps closer, then - and Ted realizes the two of them are so close that their feet are almost touching. “Do you wanna like - go in the other room to talk? Just - away from everybody else, you know?”

He nods towards the rest of the office - and no one’s really looking at them, but Ted had honestly forgotten they were still in a room full of people. He flushes a little, and nods, looking back over at Bill with a smile. “Yeah. Good idea, dude.”

Still holding onto Ted’s hand, Bill leads him out of the main lobby and back towards the cubicles - and specifically, back towards his own, where they talk every day. Ted sees that his card for the last night of Hanukkah has joined the first one, and now they’re both pinned on the wall right by the picture of the two of them. He smiles, and traces his fingers along the bottom of the picture.

“Is it weird I still - remember, like, everything about that? The talent show?”

Bill stands next to him, their shoulders nudged together, and shakes his head. “I mean, I don’t think so. I do, too. I - I don’t just have this up, you know, cause I miss playing music. I have it up, too, cause you’re like - my best friend, Ted.”

Flushing, Ted turns to face Bill, so fast his hair hits him in the face. “Wh - still?”

“Yeah,” Bill says softly. “I still have your letters and stuff, from when you were at school. I kept all of ‘em. That - picture you sent after they cut your hair and you thought you looked stupid. I kept all that stuff.”

“I kept yours, too, dude,” Ted tells him, shifting his fingers where they’re still tangled with Bill’s. “I just - I thought maybe my letters got boring. And now you’re - you’ve got this really cool job where you’re still doing art, and you still wanna play, and you got your own place, I just- it’s so cool, Bill. I’m really happy for you.”

“You’re still cool, too, Ted,” Bill tells him, squeezing his hand gently.

Ted turns, and looks down at Bill, and finds his eyes dark and hooded in the dim office. He’s still smiling up at Ted, and there’s a hint of pink in his cheeks, and he looks so nice in his sweater, the way it makes the green in his eyes stand out. “Thanks, Bill,” he says softly.

“Hey, Ted?” Bill almost whispers.

“What is it, dude?” Ted answers, just as quietly.

Hesitantly, Bill reaches up and tugs a little on Ted’s tie, pulling him down. “I really like you. Like - really like you.”

Letting Bill tug him in close, Ted turns and presses in so his nose just brushes Bill’s. “Yeah?” he asks.

Bill nods. “Yeah, dude. I - you bringing me my mail is like, the best part of my day. I really-” Cutting himself off, Bill leans forward and presses his forehead against Ted’s shoulder. “I sent myself mail from home just so you’d have something to deliver.”

Ted brings a hand up, resting it gently on the back of Bill’s neck, feeling the warmth of his skin before he moves up to brush his fingers through Bill’s curls. “No way?” he says, his voice trembling just a little.

Nodding again against Ted’s shoulder, Bill huffs out a laugh. “Yes way, dude.” He lifts his head up again and meets Ted’s eyes. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Bringing you mail is the best part of my day. That’s why I always save you for last.” There’s another tug on his tie, and Ted goes with it, grinning and giggling a little as his forehead nudges against Bill’s.

“Can I kiss you, dude?” Bill asks.

Ted barely manages to nod in response before Bill’s tugging him in even closer, and then Bill’s _kissing him_ \- just a sweet, soft press of lips before he pulls away again. Ted doesn’t let him get far though, humming and chasing Bill’s mouth, and when Bill kisses him again, Ted can feel that he’s smiling - feel the shape of his mouth, and the slight hint of teeth.

Giddy with touch, Ted pulls back and giggles at the quiet, wet sound of their mouths separating. Then he wraps an arm around Bill’s shoulders and tugs him in close again, curling around Bill so they can get a better angle, kissing him deeper. This time, the kiss is open-mouthed and lingering, so Ted can suck at Bill’s lower lip, tugging it into his mouth for a moment before he pulls back and kisses him again. Bill presses his teeth against Ted’s tongue in response, and Ted laughs into his mouth.

“Dude, should we like - get out of here?” Bill asks, murmuring the words in between kisses, like he can’t convince himself to pull back completely.

“Don’t people always make out at office holiday parties?” Ted asks him with a grin, pulling back a little just to see the look on Bill’s face - the flush spread across his cheeks, the way his lips are all ruddy from kissing. “Those people in Die Hard go to like - have sex in the bathroom, right?”

Laughing, Bill leans in and kisses him again, biting gently at Ted’s lower lip. “You saying you wanna have sex in the bathroom?”

“Uh - no?” Ted answers, his face heating up abruptly - and his surprise must show on his face, because Bill laughs even harder before he kisses Ted again, and again.

“I don’t think the bathroom here is our best option, dude.”

Ted laughs so hard he snorts a little, and he curls closer around Bill, leaning against his shoulder. “Yeah, probably not.”

“But uh-” Bill stumbles over his words a little, moving his hands down to Ted’s waist, and tugging his shirt out of his belt, just a little. “You could come back to my place. Just - if you want to?”

That makes Ted lean back, and he brings his hands up to Bill’s arms, resting on his shoulders as he checks his expression. He’s blushing, too, red in the face now in a way that clearly isn’t just from the warmth of his sweater and their kissing. Ted brings one hand up to his cheek, thumb brushing over his skin, as he enjoys just getting to look at Bill’s face so close - to stare without feeling guilty or caught out.

“Yeah, okay,” he agrees quietly, smiling at Bill.

“You - really? You want to?”

With a nod, Ted leans down and kisses Bill. Then he pulls back, and nods even harder. “Yeah. I want to. I never - did anything like this, but I really want to.”

“Me neither, dude. I didn’t - you know, I always thought you were cool, and I thought about you while you were gone. I missed you, but - when you started working here, dude - you make me, like, crazy, Ted.”

Ted smiles, and wiggles his shoulders a little, leaning back down to press his lips against Bill’s. “You too, dude. I thought it was just me, though, I didn’t - you look really good, dude. Especially when you like - roll your sleeves up and stuff.”

Bill laughs, and tugs Ted back in by his tie for one last, lingering kiss before he starts tugging him out of his cubicle, towards the entrance, Ted’s tie held over his shoulder as Ted laughs and stumbles along behind him.

Though they only cut through the edge of the party, and Bill moves his hand back down to hold onto Ted’s, Joanna still catches them and gives them a little wave as she calls, “Have a nice night, boys!” From her grin, it’s obvious she knows what’s going on, and Ted can’t help but grin back and give her a little wave back as Bill rolls his eyes and tugs him along.

They make it down to the parking lot together, bumping elbows and grabbing at each other’s coats all the way there. Bill, it turns out, has a van, too, and he opens the door for Ted to climb in before he hops in the driver’s side.

The drive to Bill's apartment passes mostly in silence, though Ted can't stop himself from glancing constantly over at Bill, at the evidence of their kissing still on his lips and his face.

Once they’re parked, and up the stairs, Ted leans against Bill’s back as he unlocks the door, still desperate to keep touching him.

They pause for a moment, though, once Ted hears the lock click, and as they wait there, he lifts up his head and leans around to look at Bill.

“What is it, dude?”

“Just - uh. Well it’s not - it’s not much, or anything. And it’s kind of - messy and stuff. I didn’t really think about it. And I didn’t think-” Bill stops, flushing, and ducks his head. “I really didn’t think I’d get this far, dude.”

Smiling, Ted tightens his arms around Bill’s waist and presses a kiss against his jaw. “It’s okay, dude. I don’t mind the mess. And I’m sure it’s great, cause it’s yours, you know?”

Once he pushes the door open, Bill turns around and looks up at Ted, tugging him down by his tie. “You’re so - sweet, Ted.”

Ted blushes, and shrugs a little, and Bill pulls him back into the apartment by the front of his jacket. “I’m just being honest, dude.”

“And you just - remembered Hanukkah, and got me the nicest gift, and brought me candy every day, and made me cards.”

Hiding behind his hair, Ted pushes his hands up under Bill’s jacket, petting over the fabric of his sweater. “I just like making you happy, dude.”

“Well - I want you to be happy, too, dude,” Bill tells him, reaching up to tug Ted down into another kiss.

Once the door is closed, Bill stumbles through the dark apartment, pulling Ted with him, until they both reach the bedroom, and Bill turns on the light.

The room is absolutely covered in paint, posters, and stickers. There’s album covers and band logos and old magazine articles over pretty much every inch of the walls, and no piece of furniture looks totally uncustomized. There’s some dirty laundry and old chip bags scattered around, too, but Ted’s hardly a stranger to that from his own room - and he can’t care to focus on it when he’s so in awe of how cool Bill’s place is.

Then, Bill takes off his coat, and tugs his sweater off over his head, one handed, pulling from the back, and Ted doesn’t want to look at anything else at all.

Bill’s curls are a mess, after the sweater’s been pulled over his head, and his lips are all pink and damp where his mouth is open. His arms are toned, the veins and tendons so clear that Ted could trace them with his fingers - or his tongue. Bill has muscle all over, really - his chest, and his stomach, the lines of his abs drawing Ted’s attention down to his hips. He’s staring, and he knows he’s staring - and when Bill catches him at it, he just grins and reaches out, wrapping Ted’s tie around his hand.

“C’mere, dude. You don’t just have to look.”

Reaching out, Ted presses his hands against Bill’s skin - wrapping around his waist, then sliding down to his hips, squeezing gently. He’s got his eyes locked there when Bill starts unbuttoning his shirt.

Ted shakes himself from his stupor and helps Bill with the buttons, then loosens his tie and pulls it off over his head so he can shrug out of his shirt.

Bill tugs him closer again, then, and rubs his hands up over Ted’s chest to his shoulders, grabbing at the muscle there. “God, dude, you look so good.”

Scoffing a little, Ted moves his hand over Bill’s stomach, tracing his abs, and the lines of his hips. “You’re one to talk, dude. Do you like, work out now? And then you just wear work shirts, and you look like - this.”

As he laughs, Bill falls back onto the bed, sitting on the edge, and then he tugs Ted close by his belt loops. “I gotta wear shirts to work.”

Ted pushes his fingers through Bill’s curls, pushing them back so he can look down at Bill’s face, and just because he wants to touch Bill’s hair again, feel it soft against his palm. “I’m just saying, I think somebody should get to see all this.”

“Well maybe we can work something out,” Bill says, tugging at Ted’s belt, unfastening it and then pulling it out of the loops so fast it whips around as he tosses it away.

Their fingers overlap as Ted unbuttons his pants and Bill unzips them, and then they both tug the slacks down under Ted’s hips, letting them fall down to his ankles. Ted barely even has time to feel self-conscious about his briefs before Bill’s tugging at the waistband, glancing up at him, and Ted just nods, flustered, as Bill tugs his underwear down, too.

Between all their kissing and his first sight of Bill shirtless, Ted is well over half-hard. His cock twitches as he watches Bill staring at it - and when that makes Bill’s tongue flick out, touching at the corner of his lips, Ted twitches again.

Bill reaches out, still glancing up to check Ted’s expression, and he wraps a hand around the base of Ted’s cock. Ted shivers, and feels the tug of arousal in his stomach as he curls forward and keeps his hand pressed gently to the back of Bill’s head.

“Bill,” he pants out.

“I wanna take care of you, dude.”

“Hm,” Ted says in response, whining more than speaking as Bill’s hand moves up to the tip of his cock, thumb pressing against the head where it peeks out from his foreskin.

Slowly, Bill leans in, and he licks over the head of Ted’s cock - then he pushes his tongue in between Ted’s foreskin and his cock, licking underneath, where Ted is especially sensitive, and Ted thrusts forward helplessly into his grip.

Bill hums against him, the sound vibrating through Ted’s cock, and Ted quickly loses himself to the warmth of Bill’s mouth, and the desperate pull of his own arousal. He grabs at Bill’s hair, and tries not to pull, but it’s hard when Bill actually wraps his lips around Ted’s cock and sucks at the head, looking up at Ted through his eyelashes all the while.

The way his eyes look, all hooded, and the way his mouth looks stretched around Ted only makes the knot in Ted’s stomach pull tighter, and finally he has to close his eyes and throw his head back, panting out quiet little noises as he tries to keep himself standing upright.

“Bill,” he moans out, “Dude, I’m gonna-”

Instead of pulling back, though, Bill just starts tugging at Ted’s cock with his hand, jerking off everything he can’t fit in his mouth - and Ted’s orgasm rushes through him even quicker than he expected. He thrusts a few times into the wet heat of Bill’s mouth before Bill finally pulls back and wipes a hand over his lips.

“Was that good?” Bill asks, out of breath, and Ted, still shivering and curled over, still sensitive, climbs onto the bed next to Bill and kisses him, cradling Bill’s head in his hands.

He can still taste himself in Bill’s mouth, salty and strangely familiar - but the idea that Bill swallowed his cum without a complaint makes Ted kiss him that much harder - his softening cock twitching again at the thought.

“So good,” Ted manages to mumble against Bill’s lips before he kisses him again, licking over Bill’s open mouth. “I wanna - what do you want me to do? You want me to suck you off?”

“I’m probably gonna come in like - a second, dude, you - the noises you make, and your face, Ted,” Bill tells him, kissing at Ted’s palm, and his wrist, then nuzzling against his skin.

Ted reaches down anyways, and unbuttons Bill’s jeans, helping him shimmy out of them as he lays back on the bed. Once his pants are down around his knees, Ted pushes his boxers down, too, and catches sight of Bill’s cock as it slaps up against his stomach.

He’s already so hard that he’s leaking, and some of it pools there in the lines of his stomach as he lays on the bed, looking up at Ted, all flushed and turned on, eyes dark and mouth open as he pants. Ted leans down, no other thought in his head, and licks the precum off of Bill’s skin, his tongue catching against the head of Bill’s cock as he does.

Bill whines, and pushes his hips up, and Ted quickly scoots down the bed for a better angle, pressing his hands against Bill’s hips. “I got you, dude,” he says quietly. He wraps one hand around Bill’s cock, getting the right angle, and then he wraps his lips around the head, moving up and down a little. He traces his tongue along the underside of Bill’s dick, out of curiosity as much as anything - but as he’s licking, he finds the vein there with his mouth, and presses his tongue against it. He closes his eyes, enjoying just the sensation of the way his mouth stretches around Bill, the way the precum feels as it pools on his tongue, the way Bill is so hot with his arousal - and then just as he traces the tip of his tongue along that vein again, Bill tenses up and cums in his mouth.

There’s enough of it that Ted struggles a little to swallow, but he just pulls back, and catches what he can on his tongue, and wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand, the same way Bill did. “How - how was that?”

“God, Ted,” Bill groans, and then he tugs Ted up, and they both slide up the bed to settle on the pillows, laying on their sides facing each other as Bill kisses him again, and then again, licking into his mouth and moaning into their kiss.

Their kisses are sloppy, and both of them eventually pull back with their mouths all damp and glossy with spit, laughing a little. Ted turns and presses his face against the pillow, and Bill nudges their knees together as he turns onto his back and finishes kicking off his pants and his boxers.

“That was - so good, dude,” Bill says.

Turning enough to peek at Bill with one eye, through his hair, Ted nods. “It was - really good. Was it good enough you wanna keep doing it?”

“Maybe after I take you to dinner next time, but yeah,” Bill tells him, grinning.

“Like a date?” Ted asks, shaking his hair out of his face as he lifts his head up.

“Yeah, dude. Like a date.”

Ted smiles, and Bill smiles back before he kisses Ted again, slow and soft.

“I had fun tonight. Like - a lot of fun, but. I wanna do this right, dude. I really like you.”

“I really like you, too,” Ted says softly, and he reaches over to tangle his fingers with Bill’s where they lay on the bed. “Maybe after dinner we can - practice guitar and stuff. Before we uh - you know, do this again,” Ted suggests with a laugh.

“Sounds like a plan,” Bill tells him, squeezing his hand. They both lay there for a moment, in the quiet, and then Bill turns back onto his side to face Ted. “So are you free tomorrow night?” he asks, grinning, and Ted laughs, and nods.

“Yeah. Definitely.”

Bill nudges in close to kiss him, and Ted kisses him back, and they lay there trading short kisses until Ted yawns a little, trying to press it against the pillows.

“You should stay here tonight,” Bill tells him, kissing his shoulder. “Then I’ll - take you for breakfast in the morning or something, and drop you home.”

For a moment, Ted spares a thought to how much his dad might throw a fit if he actually comes home tonight and finds that Ted never came home from the Christmas party. Then, grinning at the feeling of Bill’s hands and mouth on his skin, he decides he doesn’t care. “Yeah. I’ll stay. As long as you want, Bill.”

That makes Bill lift his head again and smile, and he reaches up to brush his thumb over Ted’s cheek. “Don’t tempt me, dude.”

And just like that - the mail isn’t the best part of Ted’s day anymore - just Bill is. Just Bill, and whatever time Ted gets to spend with him.

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY JOLLY AGAIN!!! uhhhh if you liked this i'm @eddykaspbraks, if you didn't, well. sorry but it's mostly for tanya anyways jkalsdmf


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